Final Prototype

After several attempts for different sets of versions of systems and software, I finally found by far the best combination:

MAC OS: High Sierra 10.13.5 (17F77)

iPhone OS: 11.3.1 (15E302)

Xcode: 9.4 (9F1027a)

Vuforia: 7.1.35

Unity 3D: 2018.1.4f1

The newest version of the software will usually have some incompatible bugs, it’s better to check with the slightly older version. However, Vuforia 7.1.35 actually fix the black screen issue I had since last time.

The newer version of unity comes with native Vuforia support, it’s slightly different with the old version but much convenient. Image target can be added directly through Gameobject and also load the database I customized from Vuforia developer portal.

Final Circuit:

I reduced the amount of components for the final prototype to make it clear and simple enough to work with. I used the three AAA batteries in the end. On the one hand, it has stable current to power my micro-controller. On the other hand, it’s lightweight and easy to change and maintain.

Assembling:

So first thing first, the wires need to be fixed, I removed the felt cover and untied everything. I followed my initial sketch to attach the microcontroller and battery case at the bottom of the headset.

Before

The battery pack should be placed in a position that to be easy to replace the batteries. And also the microcontroller needs to be exposed for future development. I glued all the wires along the edges to make them out of the way when wearing the headset. I also changed all the jumper wire to hookup wires, so they can stay nicely.

The wires come with the servo has the female jack which is not secure enough to connect, so I cut it out and soldered the wires covering with a shrink tube.

Then I laser cut two new patterns for the right and left sides of the headset. As you can see from the first video, the size of the felt cover dosen’t fit the case very well so it makes AR app difficult to trigger the image targets. I also adjusted the design a little bit to make the rating to be 5 stars, which means it would be the most readable mark for Vuforia.

Here is the final results:

Future Plan:

This is the very first version of a prototype for my entire thesis. I want to explore the possibilities to make the shared awareness in VR experiences and also speculative design the future HMD display. IoT and AR become two very doable solutions for me. This prototype provides a fundamental framework for me to add more creative contents for the future development of my thesis and further examine my research questions.